If Somalia is dangerous, why is it experiencing a surge in tourism

By Richard Collett, CNN

For decades, Somalia’s name has been shorthand for conflict, piracy and danger. Since the country’s civil war began in the 1990s, the country has had relatively few Western visitors. Yet, against the odds, the East African nation is now seeing a quiet rise in foreign tourists.

About 10,000 tourists visited Somalia in 2024, according to the country’s Department of Tourism — a 50% increase on the previous year. That’s despite most Western governments still advising against all travel.

James Willcox, founder of the adventure tour company Untamed Borders, told CNN Travel that demand is growing fast. His company organized a record 13 group trips to Mogadishu this year, compared with just two in 2023.

On September 1, 2025, Somalia launched a new eVisa system aimed at simplifying entry procedures and boosting visitor numbers. But optimism around the program has been undercut by the country’s internal divisions. The autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland have both said they won’t recognize the new visas — underscoring the limits of Somalia’s central authority even as it tries to project stability.

“Mogadishu is dangerous. You feel it as soon as you land,” said Karin Sinniger, a Swiss traveler who visited in 2020. “You have to sleep within the secure perimeter or ‘Green Zone.’ Even there, there’s been bombings.”

Leaving that area, she told CNN Travel, means traveling in armed convoys with police and military protection. “Still,” she added, “walking on the beach felt safe.”

‘Threat of kidnap’

Somalia retains its reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous destinations. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office warns of a “high threat of kidnap.”The US Department of State classifies Somalia as “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” citing “crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health, kidnapping, piracy and lack of availability of routine consular services.”

Those warnings are far from theoretical. Al Shabab militants continue to operate across Somalia, including in Mogadishu, where the group carried out several deadly attacks in early 2025.

So why does anyone want to travel there?

For Sinniger, the trip was part of a personal challenge: an attempt to visit all 193 UN-recognized countries and scuba dive in each one. When her gear was lost in transit, a local lobster diver on Mogadishu’s Lido Beach lent her a makeshift “hookah system” — a long hose attached to an air compressor — so she could complete her dive.

Source: CNN